British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday pointed fingers at President Trump and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin for volatile energy bills hitting London, saying he was “fed up” with global conflicts wreaking havoc on global oil prices.
“I’m fed up with the fact that families across the country see their bills go up and down on energy businesses bills go up and down on energy because of the actions of Putin or Trump across the world,” Starmer told ITV News on Thursday.
The British prime minister has repeatedly criticized Trump, blaming him for global turmoil driven by the Iran war hammering households with sky-high energy costs — even as his own response remains limited.
In the interview, he doubled down on his stance that the UK would not follow Trump into conflict, reiterating that “our bases will not be and are not being used for wider offensive and particularly for offensive on civilians”.
“From the get-go, we’ve been monitoring this situation. So I’m pretty clear in my own mind about what we’ve agreed and what the use of the bases are,” he said. “I’ve been saying we are not going to be dragged into this war because I say there must be a lawful basis.”
“That matters if you’re going to commit our service personnel to risk their lives,” he added.
Starmer first drew Trump’s ire in February when he denied the US request to use a British base on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean for the war on Iran.
Beyond calls for “de-escalation” and diplomatic talks, critics say the prime minister has offered little to quell tensions.
His government has focused on international coordination and long-term resilience — including closer ties with Europe and securing shipping routes — rather than intervention.
